After Typhoon Odette made massive damage in Cebu City, I and my husband had no choice but to flee to the northern part of Cebu. Luckily, we were able to find a decent place to live for at least a month.
We rented a place in Catmon which later turned into our second home. Since it feels like we were on a temporary staycation, we had to make the most of it!
It was one of our goals to visit as many resorts as we could find but preferably the cheap ones ✌️ Just our luck! It turns out that Catmon was lined up with resorts that either have a beach or are situated by the cliffs.
Considering the small number of weekends we had in Catmon, we pretty much had a good time enjoying the beach. I got really tan to the point that I don't want to wear white anymore. LOL
North Sky Beach Resort
This resort is located in Bawo, Sogod. Well, it's not exactly located in Catmon but it was only 5 minutes away from where we lived.
It has this large sign saying, North Sky Beach Resort, on the right side of the road when going north. The place was fancy when compared to other beaches you see along the road.
It made sense that the resort was not cheap. And I was right. Check out their rates that are quite similar to the ones in the city.
They have pools, air-conditioned rooms, nipa hut cottages, and open function halls.
The beach is open to its guests. However, the staff gave us a warning. Due to the typhoon, the gate was damaged and pieces of wood were all over the place.
⚠️ Warning!! Messy entrance to the beach. Be careful ⚠️
They're supposed to have a restaurant by the entrance but it didn't seem to be operating.
A few restrictions you should know about:
❌ Pets not allowed
❌ No outside food allowed
❌ Renting a cottage is a must
I know we were supposed to rent a cottage but we can't exactly afford one (or wouldn't want to spend that much at such a short time). Feeling a bit rebellious, we went out to the beach and stayed there for a while.
With these restrictions, we had to scratch this place out of our list. After all, it's not exactly budget-friendly. Still, the place is clean and well-kept. It's also great for families as long as you have the budget for it.
Water Ski Beach Resort
We went to this resort for my sister-in-law's birthday. Water Ski Beach Resort is located at Catmon, Panalipan, Cebu. It lines up with all other resorts in Catmon so you have to keep your eyes out for this one.
Its name or signage is painted on their walls and I didn't remember any large signs of it. The only landmark we had is that it was before Turtle Beach Resort which was more distinct.
Entrance Fee: Php 30/person
Cottage: Php 600
Rooms: Php 1700/per night
No corkage fee
There are exclusive room packages (about Php 15,000) where you can rent the whole place overnight, including karaoke, kayaking, floating pad, all cottages, and 3 rooms.
The family was able to rent the cottage right in front of the beach and they have this mini infinity pool filled with seawater. It was as deep as 4 feet and kids seem to enjoy the pool very much.
We were having so much fun that time that I forgot to take photos of their amenities. I'm going to share photos of our celebration here instead ✌️
It was going to be a high tide and the water was so inviting so we went in. The beach is so clean that you can see through the water. My brother-in-law had a fun time snorkeling. In our case, we had this little photo op:
Aya Beach Resort
We decided to go to another beach in our 'seemingly' last week at Catmon. We went to the nearest beach, Aya Beach Resort.
We went there out of impulse and it was already after lunch. By the time we arrived, it was already packed with people. Some were already leaving. But of course, we had to make the most of our entrance fee ✌️ Kidding!
Entrance Fee: Php 60/person
Cottage Rates: Php 350
👉 No rooms for overnight stay
👉 The resort operates only until 6 PM
The beach is clean but the seafloor has too much moss or seaweed that it felt slippery. We also went snorkeling and saw a few fish.
The fewer people there were, the nicer it was to stay in their pool filled with seawater. The resort had this large pool separated by a bridge. The poolside had this great view of the sea.
So, it's time to leave...
Our time there was up, and it was time to leave our second home. I still had a list of resorts that I wanted to visit (and hopefully stay for the night). But we weren't able to do that since it was either fully booked, temporarily closed, or we had prior plans with the family.
So, I'm sharing with you a few of the resorts and beaches in Catmon that I wish we visited:
Huna Huna Cliff Resort
I fell in love with this place. It has this Greek-resort-inspired design that you usually see on Instagram. They even have a sea view room that costs around Php 2,000 only.
But I was heartbroken when they told me that their resort was damaged due to the typhoon. Check out these BEFORE and AFTER photos I found online.
BEFORE
Google Image. Uploaded by Hannes Olafsson
AFTER
Image Source. Huna Huna Cliff FB Page
Cliff Cabanas
This resort is pretty chic. As the name represents, it is situated by the cliffs and so are their cottages.
Their rates are not so pricey either. You can stay overnight for Php 1800 good for two people. Unfortunately, it was always fully booked so we didn't have the chance.
KM45 Beach
This one is not exactly a resort but like a public beach. Most impulsive beachgoers would choose this place because the entrance fee is free but you would have to pay for parking for Php 50 per vehicle.
You can easily see it along the road. The beach is a bit rocky but a lot of people enjoy the waves crashing into the rocks. My friend went there and had some pretty good photos. There is no corkage fee either. And you can get one of the cottages and grill there for free.
Hinagdan Beach Resort
This resort looked so interesting online. It's purely cliffs and no beach. I even wondered if I could jump there on a high tide.
When my brother-in-law checked the place, it had a long flight of stairs to get to the beach. The signage wasn't really clear too. You'd definitely hesitate whether you're in the right place. Also, I don't think the place is good for non-swimmers. I think the tide goes up pretty fast and most of us would probably just end up staying by the stairs.
Alright! That's all of the resorts we went to (and wished we visited) at Catmon, Cebu. This town truly has a few hidden gems in place. It's such a shame that it's not marketed well or not shown on social media that much.
So, if you ever find yourself stuck in Catmon as we did, go on and try visiting these beaches yourself ⛱️
